Discover the Giants: 12 Amazing Fun Facts About Sequoia National Park You Can't Miss

1. Tree Highways

Where there's a fallen giant sequoia, there will too be a tunnel: With its 17 ft wide and 8 ft tall man-made passage, Tunnel Log at Sequoia National Park takes the literal meaning to "tree highways" – having been carved by Roy Devoe and the CCC crew in 1937, after the Colonel Tunnel Log fell on the Crescent Meadow Road. The tree may not fit a monster truck, but it still makes one heck of a pitstop for eager tourists and cars of more reasonable stature!
Source => famousredwoods.com

2. Grumpy Grandpa Trees

If trees could talk, the Grizzly Giant would probably be the wise, slightly grumpy grandpa of the bunch: This ancient sequoia in Mariposa Grove has been around for approximately 2,995 years! However, it's not the only one with impressive tales to tell – the oldest known giant sequoia in existence is a mind-boggling 3,266 years old and resides in the Converse Basin Grove of Giant Sequoia National Monument.
Source => nps.gov

Did you know that Yosemite National Park has a geologic history of over 450 million years, shaped by 40 cycles of glacial and interglacial periods? Discover how ancient glaciers and roaming bears played a role in creating the breathtaking Yosemite Valley, U-shaped canyons, and lakes. 🏞️🐻✨

=> Fun Facts about Yosemite-National-Park

3. Mayor of Trees

If trees could run for mayor, the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park would surely wear the sash and top hat: Towering at a staggering 83.8 meters (274.9 ft) with a circumference of 31.3 meters (102.6 ft), this arboreal colossus boasts the title of the world's largest tree by volume, with an estimated bole volume of 1,486.9 cubic meters (52,508 cu ft). With 65-75 giant sequoia groves in the park, it's like living in a quaint community of oversized wooden superheroes.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Tree Congress

If trees could run for Congress, General Sherman would be the Speaker of the House: Sequoia National Park's majestic General Sherman Tree is the largest living tree on the planet, and you can pay it a visit by taking the 2.7-mile Congress Trail, which is paved and wheelchair-accessible, passing by the governmental sequoias known as the House, Senate groups, and the President Tree.
Source => nps.gov

5. Oscars of the Forest

If trees could win Oscars for their awe-inspiring performances in the forest, you can bet your acorns that the General Sherman Tree would be the Meryl Streep of its realm: Sequoia National Park boasts the world's largest tree, towering at a majestic 275 feet tall, and stealing the spotlight with an astonishing age exceeding 2,000 years old.
Source => britannica.com

6. Lumberjack's Kryptonite

Winter Storms: the lumberjack's kryptonite and trees' sigh of relief! Alas, Sequoia National Park's gentle giants - the Sequoias - are currently out of sight: In 2023, road closures from these very storms have rendered these tall wonders temporarily inaccessible, but fret not! Visit Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park to bask in their shadowy presence, while eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the park facilities.
Source => nps.gov

7. Old MacDonald's Log Cabin

Before Old MacDonald had his farm, Hale Tharp made do with a meadow in Sequoia National Park and a log for a home: Tharp, the first non-Native American to live in the Giant Forest, grazed cattle in the summer meadows and spent winters near Horse Creek, constructing a cozy cabin from a fallen sequoia log, later visited by John Muir in 1875 who then dubbed the area "The Giant Forest".
Source => nps.gov

8. Parks Not So Closed

Rumor has it that Sequoia National Park is closed tighter than a miser's purse during tax season, but the truth is more open-hearted than that: Visitors can still frolic amidst the colossal trees in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park, where many groves play giant hide-and-seek just off the roads and even the Giant Forest boardwalk lets you cozy up to our titanic timber friends while keeping their roots safe and sound.
Source => nps.gov

9. A Marble-ous Cave

If you're ever looking for a "marble-ous" adventure, consider delving into the bowels of Sequoia National Park's very own Crystal Cave: a glistening underground palace filled with Mother Nature's own chandeliers. But pack your jackets, folks, for here's the reveal: limited to guided tours on a half-mile loop trail, Crystal Cave offers awe-inspiring marble formations and a brisk 50-degree Fahrenheit ambiance, with Assisted Listening Devices and American Sign Language tours for the hearing or visually impaired. Just remember, your party bus and trailers won't fit down the cave's curvy road—time to dust off the ol' sedan!
Source => nps.gov

10. Where Size Matters

When they say size matters, they weren't just talking about parking spaces: Sequoia National Park is home to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth by volume and weight, boasting 2,200 years of life and a towering 275 feet height that's sure to leave visitors feeling like they're walking among giants.
Source => lazytrips.com

11. When Squirrels Wore Overalls

Did you hear about the good old days when squirrels wore overalls and booted-up bears roamed the forest? Nope, me neither, but Sequoia National Park's Giant Forest Village–Camp Kaweah Historic District sure had that timeless charm: Established in 1926, the district offered lodging, concessions and camping amidst a rustic, American Craftsman Bungalow landscape, featuring 41 wood-frame cabins, an office, and various other buildings. While many such structures have since vanished to protect the giant sequoia groves, one may still stumble upon the comfort station and ranger residence to relive some bygone magic.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Stargazing Sanctuary

Flee the neon glow of the modern world, and escape to a celestial show where the stars truly align at this heavenly retreat: Sequoia National Park boasts one of the darkest skies in the United States, allowing visitors to revel in unmatched stargazing experiences, free nightly astronomy programs, and the annual Dark Sky Festival with experts unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos.
Source => visitsequoia.com